To See With A Crutch Or Live Without And Not See At All
by mandaree1
Summary: 'However, with all its amazing features and virtues, it was rather useless when not attached to someone, and was of no real help when a small bomb exploded near her cousins feet and sent rubble into his eyes. His ears recovered in a matter of hours, but his eyes...'


**Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10, Ben 10 Alien Force, Ben 10 Ultimate Alien, Ben 10 Omniverse, or any other Ben 10's that I might have missed!**

**Title: To See With A Crutch Or Live Without And Not See At All**

**Summary: 'However, with all its amazing features and virtues, it was rather useless when not attached to someone, and was of no real help when a small bomb exploded near her cousins feet and sent rubble into his eyes. His ears recovered in a matter of hours, but his eyes...'**

**Warnings: AU. Blind Ben! **

**...**

The Omnitrix always did its best to keep its owner healthy. Even when not in effect, the multitude of DNA stored inside the watch swirled inside the person wearing it, infecting them, helping them. If the person was hurt, DNA from fast-healing species went into effect to help him heal faster. If the person was sick, DNA from species with stronger immune systems helped fight off the sickness. If the person was starving, the DNA of species that could live without food for long periods of time helped drive away the hunger pains. And so on and so forth.

However, with all its amazing features and virtues, it was rather useless when not attached to someone, and was of no real help when a small bomb exploded near her cousins feet and sent rubble into his eyes. His ears recovered in a matter of hours, but his eyes...

They _would_ get better someday, the medic had sworn as he flashed a light into his murky eyes, it was only a matter of _when_ and _how long_.

For the next year or so, she acted as his crutch. Adapting takes time, even if they were rather adaptable, and he needed help getting around at first, and she'd volunteered. How could she _not_, when the first thing he'd reached for, the first words that had come from him on the battlefield as he ran around, searching blindly for a shoulder or arm to grab, to stabilize him, to ground him, had been her? He trusted Gwen, and she trusted him, and this way he could still be in on the Plumber action and not feel out of the loop.

He adapted rather well for an eleven-year-old who'd never faced anything like blindness before, and eventually he rarely ever needed help. He memorized his steps and directions and soon he had Bellwood permanently mapped out in his mind. He even managed to become a substitute goalie for the soccer team. It wasn't easy, and he'd lost more than a few games, but he was just good enough they kept him on.

Her magic grew. She tried numerous healing spells on him over the years, but they never seemed to work. The remaining alien DNA blocked her magic, forcing her to try different tactics over and over and over again until one day he gently grabbed her hand and told her it wasn't worth the effort.

"It won't work." He'd grunted. "It's okay, Gwen. I'm over it."

The Omnitrix could fix his blindness. It could create new limbs to replace lost ones (although they _were_ alien limbs), fight off any disease (Cancer? No problem), it was more than capable of making him see again.

The theory, while somewhat shaky, was one of the only pros she could imagine as she'd watched him blankly stare at the watch, testing the weight in his hands. Was it worth the trouble? Undoubtedly not, but it was still something to think about.

But still, the hesitation was there. Sight was the furthest thing from Ben's mind when he'd made his decision that day. They'd been on the sidelines for more years than they liked to count, and, by putting the Omnitrix on, they'd be thrust back into the middle of everything. Fears were pushed aside, and he'd slipped the watch on with only a slight shake in his fingers, and they both watched as his sight returned in a flash of green as the Omnitrix automatically corrected any problems and he turned to her with crystal clear eyes.

From then on, the Omnitrix worked as a form of a crutch. It was only a temporary cure, they'd found that out the first time it had been ripped from his wrist (and, boy, that was one of the most uncomfortable conversations she'd ever had with Kevin). Without the constant mix of DNA, the fixing DNA's diminished and disappeared, eventually leaving him blind once again. Kevin watched over him like a hawk, unsure but willing to help. She was an arm for him to grasp, just like how she'd been when they were children and she'd helped show him the way.

"Can't your Anodite powers fix it?" Kevin had asked one.

She'd shaken her head. "I doubt it. Magic never worked... the alien DNA, what was left of it, worked as a sort of _barrier_. Who knows what my powers will do to him now that he's wearing the watch again... I don't want to hurt him."

He never asked again.

"Are you sure about this?" Green eyes searched his face as his hand flew over the controls.

"No. Not really." He sighed. The whoosh of air was the only sound in the room. He shook his head. "It's better this way, safer, but... I don't want to be on the sidelines again."

"We're still Plumbers. We still have a lot of enemies. They can't just push us aside anymore..." She paused. "It won't be gone forever."

"No, just for a long time." He smiled bitterly. "Azmuth's determined to make it ten times better. That's gonna take time... even if it_ is_ Azmuth."

"You don't have to agree." She persisted. "He could upgrade in small parts, a little at a time. You'd never have to take it off."

"Azmuth isn't that type of guy. You know that." He closed his eyes and sighed. "Gwen, it'll be okay."

"You can't see without it." Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper. "It isn't right to just... take that away from you."

"My sights getting better, Gwen. The darkness is getting brighter every time the watch has been taken from me. Couple of years or so, I'll be able to make out shapes and objects... I'm never going to have perfect vision again, but... At best, I'll need glasses. At worst..." He broke off.

She bit her lip. Ben was good at getting around Bellwood, true, but he wasn't planning on just staying in Bellwood. He was a Plumber, and Plumber's traveled around and through the endless reaches of space. How would he fare if he was trapped on an unknown planet, a place he'd never traversed before? "I'll help."

He shook his head. "You're in college, Gwen. You have other things to worry about then the Plumbers."

True, but it didn't feel _right_, leaving him to fend on his own without the watch. "Rook can help you, then." She could still see, in her minds eye, the furred man waiting outside, arms crossed as he leaned against his ship, muscles tensed and face pinched.

"Rook's never seen me without the watch." He pointed out with a tight smile. "He had no clue how to deal with me."

"He's a fast learner. He'll be fine."

"I don't doubt that." She watched as the watch unlatched itself from his arm with a green flash, falling into his open palm. "I'm done using the Omnitrix as a crutch. Besides, the switches between seeing and being blind gave me major headaches." He paused, sensing the feelings flowing from her in waves. "I'm okay with this, Gwen. Honestly. It'll be fine, no need to worry."

She didn't answer. She watched as he slowly set the device into the metal shipping box and closed it with a sigh.

"It'll be okay." He repeated.

She could only hope so.

**Authors Note: This is more or less a 'what if' idea I got while thinking of all the Blind 'Rise Of The Guardians' fanfics. It's a one chapter thing, the rest is up to you to imagine. =)**

**No flames! Don't like don't read! Review!**


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